Apparatus for aerating liquids



June 1 1926.

. 1,587,319 W. HUCKS APPARATUS FOR AERATING LIQUIDS Filed August 19. 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 1.

June 1 ,1926. 1,587,319

' W. HUCKS APPARATUS FOR AERATING LIQUIDS Filed August 19. 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 June vl 1926.

1,587,319 w. HUCKS APfARATUSFOR AERATING LIQUIDS Filed August 19, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. .3.

June 1 1926. I 1,587,319

W. HUCKS APPARATUS FOR AERATING LIQUIDS Fil ed Au gust 19, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ll ll l! Kim: E @1141};

lllll Patent-ed June 1, 1926.

untrue WILLIAM I-IUCKS, OF QAMDENEOWN, LONDGN. ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SODASTBEAM LIMITED, OF CAMDEN TOVJN, LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR AERATING LIQUIDS.

Application filed August 19, 132.4, Serial No. 733,020, and in Great Britain: October 29, .1923.

This invention relates to apparatus for aerating water, or other liquid, for sale in smallquantities at a time, or forother purpose.

According to-this invention the receptacle .or dispensing container in which the aeration is. effected is provided with a body capableof being moved in the said receptacle so as :to draw in a predetermined quantity of liquid to be aeratedand, after it has been aerated expel it for consumption, the arrangement. if desired. being: such that the capacity of the space into which a quantity of the liquid to be aerated-is admitted can be altered in accordance with the particular amount. of liquid to be aerated at each operation of-theapparatus.

The source of supply of the said liquid is arranged in connection with the said-receptacle andthe said receptacleand the body movable therein (which we will refer to as the piston) are provided with valvular arrangements such that, when the piston is moved in one direction. the contents of the said receptacle forward of the piston will beexpelled and liquid will be admitted to the space in the saidreceptacle on the other side of the piston and, when thesaid piston is moved in the reverse direction. liquid in amount corresponding to the stroke of the piston in that direction will remain in the space above the piston into which space the gas to efi'ectaeration is'admitted and, when the ,liquid has been aerated. the apparatus will beoperated to snittoil any excess and expel without undue escape otgas, the liquid. into the glass in whichit is servedto thecustomer. or into otherrequired receptacle.

.Ifdesired,a'counting device may be provided to indicate-the number of operations orthe amount of liquid treated and drawn off such device beingoperated in any convenient way for example by a pinion on the shaft carrying the rack-operating pinion and .so arranged that the rotation of the said shaft will. operatethe counting device.

I will describe, with. reference to the accompanvinggdrawings. an apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention,

but the invention is not limited to the prccise details of construction hereinafter described.

Figures 1 and 2 are vertical sections, at right angles to each other (and respectively taken on the line 1, 2 and 3, i, 'Fi ure 4) shewing the parts in the position when the piston is at the top of its stroke and Figure 3 is an elevation, partly in section corresponding to Figure 2, showing "the position when the piston is at the bottom of its stroke. Figure 4 is, a plan and 5 is a transverse section taken on the line 5, 6, Figure 1. Figure 6 is a vertical section of the valve at the outlet from the apparatus and Figure 7 shews separatelya suitable counting device.

The receptacle in which aeration is effected consists of a vertical cylinder A surrounded by a vessel B between which and the cylinder A there is a space a with which a reservoir of liquid to be aerated communicates. Vi e have shewn two inverted spherical bottles (3. C, as reservoirs supported upon the hinged tops, or covers. of a trough C the necks oi the bottles dipping into the trons-h to an extent necessary to maintain the liquid at the predetermined level. Either bottle can be turned up and charged with liquid whilst the other isin use. To prevent escape of liquid from the bottles when they are being turned over onto the trough they may be provided with stoppers which can from outside the hinged tops, orycovers,.be removed after the said top. or covers, have been closed. The trough C is supported on columns G at such height thatliquid will pass from the said trough through the passage {3 into the space a surrounding, and beneath, the cylinder A. The lower part A of the said cylinder Ais capable of sliding in the upper part A and the said lowerpart has at the top a ledge a which is a stop for the piston D which can slide in the said cylinder. the piston rod. (Z passing through a stun ing-bot: rising; from the bottom of the vessel. B the said rodbe-ing provided with a. rack Z with which gears a pinion 6 carried by a shaft E to which movement of rotation can be given by any suitable means, such as the handle FF. The body of thepiston D is smaller in diameter than the interior of the cylinder A, the space between being covered by a flexible disc or valve (Z opening upwards on the down stroke of the piston. A valved pipe F for the outlet of any surplus gas and of aerated liquid from the cylinder A communicates by the passage Z) with the space in the said cylinder above the piston D. This valve consists of two parts 7 and f with a spring f between them. the said valve being operated by a bevel-pinion e keyed on the shaft E and acting upon a toothed sector 9 loose on the short shaft projections g on which bear against one arm of the bell-crank lever 51 free on the shaft 9' the other arm of the said lever being connected by the rod to the lower part 7 of the valve. Rotation of the pinion c in the direction for lowering the piston D causes the upper projection on the toothed sector g to turn the crank g in the direction to close the valve until a stop on the said crank bears against a fixed part of the apparatus, and rotation of the said pinion in the opposite direction causes the lower projection on the said toothed sector to turn the crank in the direction to open the said valve. The spring g keeps the toothed sector g when in its lowered position up nst the teeth of the bevel pinion 6 the weight of the toothed sector when it is in the raised position being sufiicient to lzeep it in contact with the said teeth. The combined pinion and bevel wheel (2 is loose on the shaft E but is turned when the dog 6 on the bevel pinion e engages the dog 6 on the pinion c. pipe G for the aerating gas opens, from any suitable source of supply (such as a gas cylinder) into the Space above the piston i in the cylinder A.

In the drawing means are shewn whereby the quantity of liquid aerated at each opera tion of the apparatus can be varied by moving the portion A at the lower part of the cylinder A, vertically into and from the said cylinder so that the ledge a of the said portion (which constitutes the stop for the piston D) is brought to a higher, or lower, position to stop the piston at a part of the cylinder A which will make the space above the piston when the piston is in its lowest position, accord with the quantity of liquid to be aerated. The adjustment of the portion A is shewn as being effected by rotating the screw H (which is confined against vertical movement) so as to raise or lower, the screw cross-piece A and, through the rods 7L, 7L, the portion A to the bottom flange of which the rods 72/, 71 are connected, lVhen a counter is used with apparatus having this adjustment to indicate the total amount of various quantities of liquid aerated it may be of. any suitable coir struction, but we prefer to use that known as the Veedcr and to provide, in proximity to the bracket i which carries it, a cam-like disc 6 on a shaft 6 rotatable from any suitable moving part of the apparatus and presenting paths of different extents cor esponding to the various amounts to be indicated. The disc 2' is also formed with, or fixed to, a circular path 2' against which bears a roller i fixed to the axis of the counter and carrying a pin i which projects from each side of the roller. Rotary motion of the disc 2' effects, by friction, partial rotation of the roller i until the pin i projecting from one side thereof comes against the path 2' and further rotation of the roller is prevented until the said path 2' is rotated past the said pin 2' thereby releasing the said roller which can again partially rotate until the pin 2' comes against the cam surface 2' When the cam surface is rotated past the pin i the roller i is again released and is further partially rotated until the portion of the said pin projecting fr m the other side of the roller comes against a stop 2' provided on the bracket 6. During the rotation of the disc 2' when the pin 6 is in contact with either of the aforesaid surfaces 27 i or the stop 2' the disc 2' slides against the roller without rotating it.

Freedom to slide without jaming is effected by mounting the bracket i, carrying the counter on a pivot. At each intermittent rotation of the roller 6 in one direction.

The connection between the piston-operating mechanism and the counter is such that the path (i or 11 and the space from the end of path i to the stop 6 corresponds to the adjusted length of the stroke of the piston D and, therefore, to the amount of the liquid aerated and discharged at each stroke: When the apparatus is operated, the counter rotates and registers except when the pin 2' comes against a path when the pin stops the rotation and the roller 71" slides on the circular path 2' till the pin is again released.

When the apparatus is not in action the pin 2' rests against the stop 71 The disc 2' is shewn as being actuated from the shaft E by the bevel-pinion, forn'ied on, or fixed to, the pinion e engaging a bevel. pinion i on the shaft 2' of the said disc 2' It will be understood that if desired the apparatus can be arranged in a simple form "In operating the apparatus, [the handle E being movedthrough a partial rotation first, through. the parts 6 g, g, g and rai. s the spring valve 7, f until its upper end P bears against the seating and then the springf is compressed and constitutes a safety valve. At or about this time the dog 0 bears on the dog 0 and, by continued movement or the handle E the piston D is drawn down through the liquid in the cylinder A until the said piston comes against the lodge a on the part A and, under pressure being admitted by the pipe G to the cylinder A, the liquid therein is aerated thereby and under the gas pressure the valve d on the piston D is flattened out and, as its diameter is a little more than that of the interior of the cylinder it makes a pressure-tight joint between the piston and the cylinder wall. If there be any excess pressure it will be relieved by the yielding of the spring f of the valve f, 1. When the aerated charge is to be discharged the handle E will be partially rotated in the reverse direction this opening the valve f, {f and first releasing any gas not absorbed y the liquid. On continued movement of the handle E the piston D will move upward and the edge of the disc constituting the valve (i will be turned back. The disc is made of a resilient material such as rubber, so that its edge in the turned back position presses with sutlicient force against the interior of the receptacle to prevent leakage of the liquid past the piston, it being understood that when the piston is moving upward, the outlet valve being open, the liquid is not subjected to pressure. As the piston moves up to the top of the cylinder A the aerated liquid flows out of the outlet F into the glass, or other receptacle, placed to receive the aerated liquid.

In order to ensure that no siphoning of the liquid from the reservoir by Way of the top outlet F shall be set up at the conclusion of the rip-stroke of the piston, a pipe J with a very small bore is led from the upper part or the cylinder A to the underside of the piston and through this a little gas will pass, during the admission of the aerating gas and prevent any such siphoning action.

It will be observed that, on the up stroke, the piston D rises somewhat above the top of the cylinder A so that the valve d will flatten out to leave communication betweenthe liquid beneath the piston and the outlet opening F to allow of the liquid level being established in the apparatus for the next operation.

lVhat I claim is 1. In apparatus for aerating and dispensing liquids, a vessel, a cylinder within said vessel, and a piston reciprocable within said cylinder, in combination with means for introducing aerating gas above said piston,

and means =tor introducing liquid *beneatli said piston.

I 2. Apparatus for aerating and dispensing liquids, comprising a'vessel, a 'cylinder'within said vessel, a piston reciprocable within said cylinder, and means for introducing aerating gas above said piston, in combination with a discharge spout adapted to permit the escape otexcess pressure, and means for introducing liquid beneath the piston.

3. Apparatus for aerating and dispensing liquids, comprising a vessel, a cylinder within said vessel, a piston reciprocable within said cylinder, and means for introducing aerating gas above said piston, in combination with a discharge spout adapted to permit the escape of excess pressure, and means for introducing liquid beneath the piston, said piston being adapted to agitate and discharge the aerated liquid.

4. Apparatus for use in aerating and dispensing liquids comprising a vessel, a cylinder inside said vessel, and a piston workable in the cylinder, in combination with a body slidable in said cylinder having a seat for said piston, adapted to vary the stroke of the piston by varying its lowest position, thus enabling diiierent quantities of liquid to be aerated and dispensed at each operation or the piston.

5; Apparatus for aerating liquids comprising a vessel, a piston capable of being reciprocated therein, means for controlling the level in and the supply of liquid to said vessel, and valve means adapted to permit the piston to expel aerated liquid when moved upwards and to pass through the liquid in the vessel when moved downwards, in combination with a spring valve adapted to control the outlet for excess gas and for aerating liquid, and means for operating said valve from the means employed to operate the movable body.

6. In an apparatus for pensing liquids, a vessel, said vessel, and a piston capable of being reciprocated in the cylinder and of overrunning same at its top, in combination with a valve upon said piston consisting of a normally flat flexible disc of diameter slightly in excess oi that of the cylinder, the edges of said disc being adapted to turn back and press against the interior of the cylinder with sufficient force to prevent any substanaerating and dis tial amount or lieuid leakin ast the is ten.

7. Appa atus for use in aerating and dispensing liquids comprising a vessel, a cylinder inside said vessel, a piston capable of being reciprocated in the cylinder adapted to move above the liquid level, means for controlling the level in and the supply of liquid to the cylinder, and valve means adapted to prevent the passage of liquid past the piston in one direction but to pera cylinder inside mit its passage in the other direction, together with means opening to the cylinder above the normal liquid level therein for effecting aeration of the liquid.

In apparatus in accordance with claim 1, means for preventing the liquid to be aerated from passing out of the vessel OW- in'g to siphoning action set up by the aerated portion of liquid substantially as hereinbefore described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WM. H'UUKS. 

